


Doctor Danny

by TARDISTraveller42



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, Aliens, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, blood mention, brief ptsd mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:18:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TARDISTraveller42/pseuds/TARDISTraveller42
Summary: Clara convinces Danny to join her and the Doctor on a TARDIS trip, and it goes just about as well as she thought it would.





	1. Chapter 1

The telly was on low, humming in the background like white noise. Leftover pizza sat on the coffee table. Clara’s face was leant against Danny’s shoulder, and there was no where in time and space she’d rather be. Friday nights were for Danny, and Danny alone. Or so Clara meant for them to be.

 

“You should come on a trip sometime.” The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them, earning a sigh from the tired eyed, albeit smiling, Danny Pink. Clara turned up to him. “Just once. To see what it’s like.”

Danny tapped his foot against the floor, rubbing a hand over his face. He said, “I don’t even think he’d let me come. He’d probably go off about soldiers and how I would end up hurting someone.”

Clara chuckled against his loosened tie. “You’d probably be likely to hurt him.”

“I would, wouldn’t I?” Danny grinned, and then sobered seemed to take her words more seriously. “If you really want me to come...then I guess I can.”

Clara’s head shot up in excitement. Danny held up a finger to curb her enthusiasm. “But only one trip. I don’t want to become a...what does he call you? His?”

“Companion.”

Danny laughed. “Companion! What year is he from, anyway?”

Clara shook her head. “He talks a lot about 1963.”

Danny’s eyes widened. “That explains a lot. He hasn’t drugged our water or anything, has he?”

Clara swatted playfully at his arm. “Danny!”

“What? A lot of people got into weird stuff in the sixties!”

They shared one last laugh before Clara’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She whipped it out and then glanced up at Danny, biting her lip.

“It’s him. Should I ask if you can join us?”

Danny gestured with his hand. “Go for it. Just make sure he doesn’t shout at me. I had Courtney for two periods today and I do not have the patience.”

Clara touched his arm as she stood up. “Trust me, I don’t either. I’ll make sure he behaves.”


	2. Chapter 2

The TARDIS landed in the middle of Clara’s lounge five minutes later with that groaning sound that always made the young teacher’s eyes brighten. Today, it’s effect was slightly different. Clara and Danny fumbled for their shoes, he straightening his tie and she grabbing her crossbody purse. Both of them were nervous, as if Danny were visiting Clara’s father instead of...whatever the Doctor was to her.

One of the blue doors creaked open and the Doctor’s pale face and big hair appeared in the threshold, looking over the two humans with big wondering eyes. Then he stepped slowly out, his boots tramping heavily on Clara’s floor as he hesitated to enter. He looked to Clara for help.

“Doctor, you’ve met Danny,” Clara started, taking Danny’s arm around her own. Danny waved with his opposite hand.

“Sir.”

The Doctor nodded, looking Danny over critically. “So. You’re coming with us today. At least you should be able to keep up, with all those P.E. classes.”

Danny was about to respond, but he simply rolled his eyes and smiled. Then Clara led them both into the ship, where she leaned against the Console. The Doctor pulled down a lever beside her arm as Danny looked around the space.

“I’ll never get used to this place.”

Clara went over to him with a grin, and then playfully spun toward the Doctor. “So where are we going? You were really excited on the phone.”

The Doctor pointed and rushed around the controls, flipping switched as he pranced across the room. “There’s a network of caves, all creating one giant city of hermits. They only come out to get supplies once a month, at the big festival, and then they all go into their homes again and hide away. No one knows how the tradition got started.”

“Until now,” Clara said in a mock radio announcer voice. The Doctor replied with a lopsided smile just before pressing a button that made the ship pitch dramatically. Danny latched onto the closest railing and then grabbed Clara’s hand.

“Is this what it’s always like?”

Clara flipped the hair out of her face and replied simply, “More or less.” 

The Doctor pulled down the brake and the TARDIS finally stilled. “We’re here. Outside those doors is the largest cave system in the universe.”

“It’s trees.”

Danny stared out the doorway and saw nothing but green forest. The Doctor peered in between he and Clara with furrowed brows. “Oh.”

Danny groaned, stepping back into the TARDIS. “Is this like what happened on Earth? With the trees and the solar flare?”

The Doctor checked the scanner and laughed to himself. “Sorry about that; we’re two miles off. TARDIS doesn’t like caves very much. Too damp for her wood.”

Danny’s voice raised a few notes in pitch. “Her? Your ship can...think? It’s a woman, and it has opinions about dampness?”

Clara rubbed his back and treaded out the door, leaving Danny gaping with his mouth fallen open. As the Doctor passed him, he patted Danny on the shoulder. “Oh, P.E., how much you don’t know.”

Danny shook his head and followed after them a moment later, shutting the door behind him as he did. Then they trekked through the shrubbery and dense plant life that seemed to go on for far more than two miles.

“Doctor, are we actually getting closer?” Clara heaved in another deep breath and finished the last drop of the only water bottle she’d brought. 

“Shh!”

Hey eyebrows creased. “What?”

“Shh. Get down.”

The trio shrank into the closest bush, bumping elbows as they each peeked their heads up as far as they dared. Two voices matched with two pairs of footsteps were heading down the path they’d just hopped off. From the sound of them, it was a young girl and her mother.

“Mother, why can’t I go to the festival with you tonight?”

“Now, Teeva, we talked about this. It isn’t safe at night. I don’t want you getting hurt by the Ragers. It’s the whole reason we came to live in seclusion! To keep you safe.”

“But Moha’s parents are letting her go.”

“Well, I’m not. Now let’s get home before dark.”

“Yes, mother.”

As soon as the two women were out of earshot, the Danny sprang up.

“Did you hear that? Ragers? Who are they, then?”

The Doctor bit his lip. “It seems they’re a group that makes people so afraid that they hide away in caves.”

Danny glanced toward where the women walked, where they could hear the beginnings of the festival starting, a few people setting up a sound system and others putting up lights. “Maybe we can put a few guards out. I can go talk to the festival manager or whatever-”

“No. No, definitely not.”

Danny turned sharply back to the Doctor. “We know there’s a danger, so we have to do what we can to protect them! I’m sure I can find ten, maybe twenty people. Some of them must have basic defense skills. We can make spears easy enough with all this wood around.”

The Doctor licked chapped lips and levelled his head with Danny’s. “These people are scared. We do not need scared people brandishing weapons. It’ll be a bloodbath. We don’t even know who these Ragers are. Maybe we can talk to them.”

Danny laughed dryly. “They’re so scary that people are hiding themselves away in caves, but you think they’re going to listen to some bloke from a different planet and suddenly turn peaceful?”

“That’s what generally happens.”

Danny shook his head with a smirk and started toward the edge of the cave town, making his way to the festival grounds. “I don’t know what kind of rubbish bad guys you’ve been dealing with, Doctor, but in my experience, violence doesn’t end with a few pretty words.”

Clara jogged after him, finally having had enough of their bickering. “Danny! Where are you going?”

He turned halfway to her, softening slightly. “I need to help them protect themselves.”

“P.E., you’re making a mistake!”

Danny turned around full, watching the Doctor running toward him with a frustrated eye. “I’m not a P.E. teacher. And my name’s Danny.”

Danny paced forward, leaving the Doctor watching him with exasperation. “Clara, please stop your boyfriend from starting a war.”

Clara closed her eyes for a moment, feeling herself being pulled in two different directions. Ultimately, she raised her head and said, “He’s got a point, though, doesn’t he?”

The Doctor’s face fell as Clara started off. “Where are you going?”

“I can’t let him go off on his own; he’s never been on a different planet before. We’ll meet up later.” She met his eye. “I’m sorry, Doctor. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Clara found Danny already making his way through the future festival area. Wooden slats were being built as he walked, and strings of lights were being hung up on beams. It looked pretty nice, actually. But what was even better were the caves, all stacked on top of each other and crowded together but each definitely its own. It was a truly magnificent sight to behold, with wavy lines tracing their edges like an enormous three dimensional painting on the wall of the festival. 

Clara caught up with him and took his hand in her own. “The caves are pretty, at least.”

Danny turned up to look at them, a sad smile on his face. “They’re beautiful.”

Clara leaned in closer to him as they made their way down the outer edge of the town. “What’s wrong? Is the Doctor getting you down?”

Danny smiled and looked at his feet. “No, it’s not him. It’s just...so weird. I don’t know, you think that other planets, or even just other countries will be so different…but they’re not really. They’ve still got trees and people and the same problems.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Danny slowed his pace, thinking hard. “It’s why I don’t feel like I have to travel very far. Once you’ve seen one sky, one cloud, you’ve seen them all.”

Clara took in this information with a wistful glisten in her eyes. Then she squeezed his arm. “It’s amazing, though, isn’t it? You can have a cup of coffee on Mars and it tastes the same as on Earth. It makes you feel...a part of something, I guess.” Clara chuckled, “Look at us getting all deep and sophisticated today

They made eye contact and Danny grinned. “We make a pretty good pair, don’t we?”

They stopped altogether and leaned together for a kiss, which they savored for a long minute. Then they took each other’s hands again and continued walking, Danny asking anyone they passed about armies and martial arts. By the time the sun was half set, they’d found one possible guard.

“Yeah, I got a steer.”

Danny eyed the woman closely. “No, no. A spear.”

“Love, I can’t hear you. Oh look; the festival is starting! Maybe you can find one there!”

Danny groaned and set his forehead against the closest cave wall. “Why doesn’t anyone know how to protect themselves here?”

Clara shrugged. “They’re hermits. They only talk to other people once a month, like the Doctor said. Maybe they don’t usually need to protect themselves.”

Danny picked his head up and looked around the festival. The lights were all on now, creating criss-crossing patterns above everyone’s heads and lighting up rows and rows of stalls and vendors. It was an amazing thing to see. For a bunch of hermits, the people did seem to enjoy each other’s company a lot. Clara smiled as one young boy gave another a flower.

“It’s a shame they only get to see everyone once a month.”

“Imagine the love stories.”

The Doctor’s voice came out of nowhere from behind Clara’s head, making her jump ten feet in the air and then bring her fist down on his arm. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I was forming a plan. You two haven’t been out recruiting soldiers, have you? If you have, tell them to go home. I only need you two. Now, Clara-”

“Hold on,” Danny said, holding up hand. “Who put you in charge?”

Clara put her hands on Danny’s shoulders. “Danny, I love you, but can you two please learn to get along, or at least only argue behind my back. It’s a little unbearable.”

“Clara.”

The Doctor was standing upright, eyes widely gazing behind her. Clara was about to ask what was going on, but sudden screams told her all she needed to know. Danny pulled her gently but firmly toward himself by the arm and then looked to the Doctor. “What was that plan?”

“Ughh, forget the plan,” the Doctor scratched his chin anxiously.

“What?!”

He turned to his two companions. “We don’t have time. Just get as many people out of here as you can. Go!”

Clara and Danny rushed into the crowd, but the people were a step ahead of them. Nearly everyone was in a full sprint toward the caves, grabbing all they could as they went. All they had to do was steer a child or two in the right direction and then the festival was practically desolate. 

Clara heaved in a deep breath and turned to Danny, smiling and giving a thumb’s up. Behind her came the sound of leaves rustling, and for a moment she thought the Doctor had somehow ended up ahead of them. Then she saw him standing behind Danny, and her blood went cold.

She turned ever so slowly to face a man whose mouth was covered in a bandana, like an old timey robber. Above the cloth, she could tell his skin was green and shiny. As her eyes flit down, she noticed the gun holster in his belt loop and the knife in a strap on his leg. Suddenly words were very difficult.

“H-hello.”

“Where are you from?”

The voice was menacing, but not in a dark or evil way. In fact, it sounded like a teenager doing an impression of Batman. Clara let her lips twitch into the beginnings of a smile. “Blackpool.”

The gun suddenly whipped out from its holster, aimed directly at Clara. Danny instantly darted in front of her, holding his arms out protectively. A fire in his eyes made the alien boy falter for a moment, the gun drifting down.

“Don’t you dare,” Danny said. Clara breathed out shakily, holding onto Danny’s sleeve like a child. There were so many ways that this situation played out, but most of them were not desirable.

To the side, where Danny had been just a moment before, the Doctor stood eyeing the situation with intense focus. Danny had been so brave; so thoughtful. He hadn’t even hesitated before stepping in front of a gun for Clara. Suddenly the Doctor felt all of his animosity toward Danny fade away. He was good enough for Clara; of course he was. (Good enough as anyone can be, anyway).

The Doctor took a few steps forward, drawing the boy’s attention. The gun was at his side, but still held in a tight, unrelenting grip. The Doctor bent down slightly so he was looking the young man in the eye.

“Listen, you don’t want to hurt either of them. I know you’re afraid. That’s what drives everyone into these kinds of groups, like your Ragers. I don’t know your whole story. And you don’t know ours. But I think, if you did, you wouldn’t be threatening us right now.”

The boy was entranced by the Doctor’s words, as was Danny. For a second, it crossed the Maths’ teacher’s mind that maybe the Doctor really could talk down a hate group. But then the gun was raised again, this time pointed at the Doctor. The Timelord steeled, straightening up, as the boy shook his head.

“You have no right talking to me. This town fears us. We keep them in line. Just as you fear me.”

The boy’s gun flew toward Danny and Clara, who froze, Danny covering Clara as much as he could and Clara trying to push him out of the way so he wouldn’t get hurt. The Doctor took another step toward the boy with his hand out.

“If you have to hurt anyone, to prove something, or to show off, or whatever it is you do...hurt me. Not them. But think about it, really hard. Do you really want to hurt anyone? Or are you better-”

The gun fired, and the Doctor’s words were cut off abruptly as the bullet went through him. Time seemed to stop. All of the noises of the forest and the festival and the leaves were silenced. The only thing Danny and Clara saw or heard was the Doctor staggering, tripping over his feet, and then landing on his back against the ground without even trying to break his fall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Danny and Clara were frozen for a moment, staring at the unmoving Doctor on the ground. They didn’t even hear the boy drop the gun, or how his boots clattered against the forest floor as he ran away. Finally, Clara squeezed the fabric of Danny’s shirt, and they both seemed to come back to life.

Clara was the first one to stumble over to the Doctor, praying as she dropped painfully onto her knees beside him. She knew immediately that he was in a bad way.

The Doctor’s eyes were staring up at Clara, a glaze covering his irises as they darted back and forth across her face. His breathing came in short gasps that half gurgled in his throat as he moaned in pain. Clara touched a palm to his cheek as Danny inspected the bullet wound, a growing red spot on his upper chest.

“Doctor. Doctor, look at me.”

Clara tapped his cheek to try and rouse him, but he was already going into some form of shock, practically hyperventilating. Danny unbuttoned his shirt and carefully peeled away the ruined fabric, earning a quick, pained gasp from the Doctor. Danny looked up at Clara.

“I don’t think it hit anything major, but we need to see if there’s an exit wound.”

“Right.”

Clara and Danny strategically placed their hands on the Doctor’s body and turned him onto his side, just enough so that Danny could see his back, where he found a hole in his jacket just smaller than the one in the front. When they lowered him onto his back again, Danny let out a breath. “That’s a relief. But he’s losing a lot of blood. We need to get him somewhere safer.”

Clara glanced around them, searching for someone, anyone, as Danny pulled off his tie and worked the Doctor out of his coat. Clara turned back to him with tears in her eyes. “Everybody’s gone! They won’t be back for another bloody month and now-”

Danny touched her arm gently. “Hey, don’t panic. It’s gonna be fine. I swear to you, Clara.”

Her tears stopped for the moment. Satisfied, Danny ripped a piece of fabric off of the Doctor’s coat and gritted his teeth. “He’s not gonna like this.”

Clara took the Doctor’s hand in her own, though she wasn’t sure he was aware of anything at this point, as Danny pressed the makeshift bandage onto the Doctor’s wound. The Doctor screamed, and the sound shuddered through Clara’s every nerve. Firmly, she held down his good shoulder as she kept her hand in his.

“It’s alright. It’s alright, Danny’s taking care of you. We’re both here.”

The Doctor’s eyes seemed to focus on her for a moment and she smiled, new tears falling down her face. “Hey. We've got you.”

Danny pressed another piece of fabric to the exit wound on the Doctor’s back. This time, the Doctor simply groaned, closing his eyes again. Danny turned to Clara with something like fear in his eyes, but he pushed it down instantly.

“We have to get him to one of the caves. It’s getting dark.” 

Clara dreaded their next task. She pushed the thought away and instead watched Danny wrap his tie around the two pieces of fabric, already soaked through. He knotted it tightly and then raised himself to his knees. 

“I think I can carry him. You lead the way; you can use your phone as a flashlight.”

Clara reluctantly let go of the Doctor’s hand and jumped to her feet, fumbling to turn on her phone flashlight with shaking fingers. When she finally managed it, she watched Danny with anxious eyes. “Be careful with his…”

Injury. Clara’s voice failed her when she tried to say it. The Doctor didn’t get injured. He was never the one who got hurt or needed care. He was always the strong one; the stubbornly hard one. But now he was so vulnerable, as Danny shifted him awkwardly over his shoulder. Clara closed her eyes as the Doctor cried out again. When she opened them and shone her light on the two men in her life, the Doctor was hanging like a ragdoll over Danny’s shoulder, hardly making a sound. Danny stated simply, “We need to hurry.”

Clara lit and led the way to the closest empty cave she could find, still well over two hundred feet away. It was difficult enough for her in the darkness, she had no idea how Danny managed it while lugging around a full grown Timelord. But when they had made it inside and Danny had the Doctor laid out on the ground, it was all too real to be her imagination.

“Clara, I need some help.”

Clara knelt on the opposite side of the Doctor and realized she could see him almost as clear as day. One glance upward told her why: the cave was filled with glowing blue and white diamonds. She threw away the distraction as soon as she could. The Doctor needed her to focus. She set her purse beneath the Timelord's head for comfort and took his hand in her own again.

Danny pulled off the remaining layers the Doctor wore above the waist and looked at the wound in the light of the diamonds. The bullet had entered just below his collarbone, luckily missing any major organs and arteries. Still, the Doctor had lost a lot of blood and he was eerily silent. Danny knew even from his limited experience with the Doctor that this was beyond abnormal.

“Try to bring him round. He should stay awake as long as he can.”

Clara ran a hand through the Doctor’s hair and his head tilted toward her palm, face creasing in pain.

“Can you hear me? Don’t talk; just nod.”

The Doctor’s head nodded, ever so slightly, and it was one of the best sights Clara had ever seen. She left a palm on his cheek as she looked over to watch Danny. He was just pressing another ripped piece of the Doctor's shirt onto the wound. The Doctor grunted low in his throat. Danny turned to the Doctor’s face as he held the shirt down.

“Just a little bit longer, and then we’ll stitch you up and you can rest.”

The Doctor opened his eyes under heavy lids. Danny ruffled his hair with one hand while keeping one hand firmly on the staunch. Clara smiled at the small action. Of all the situations that could’ve brought those two men closer, this would not have been her choice. But now that they had it, she was going to appreciate what little good came out of it.

Danny lifted the red once-white shirt off of the Doctor’s chest and noted the much slowed bleeding with a smile. “That’s better. Now, ugh, Clara; do you still carry that needle and thread in your purse?”

Clara cleared her throat and gave him a playful smirk. “What respectable person doesn’t carry a needle and thread, Mr. Pink?”

Danny eyed her curiously. “Literally everyone except you, I think.”

Clara slowly lifted the Doctor’s head enough to grab her purse. “Sorry, Doctor, I need to borrow your pillow.”

“It’s not comfortable anyway,” the Doctor groaned, just barely discernable. Clara laughed and lightly poked his good arm. 

“Oi! Your first time speaking in half an hour and it’s to make some snide remark.” 

The Doctor’s lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile as Clara passed Danny the needle and thread. Then she took the Doctor’s hand again, sobered and serious. “You can squeeze my hand if you need to.”

He didn’t respond verbally, but a moment later, Clara felt her fingers being crushed beneath the Doctor’s tight hold. She didn’t dare watch Danny work, queasy as she could be sometimes, so instead she stared at the Doctor. His face was still very pale, but at least his eyes were more focused, gazing between she and Danny every so often, when he wasn’t simply resting with his eyes closed. 

Danny finished up and tossed away the needle, guessing correctly that Clara wouldn’t want it back. Then he covered the wound in what little fabric he had left and looked around the space for the very first time. Letting the tension leave his shoulders, he rested against the cave wall. Clara joined him, with the Doctor lying on the ground between them. 

“Danny?”

“Yeah?”

He looked over at her and his eyes shone brightly in the light of the diamonds. Clara swallowed. “Thank you.”

Danny smiled bashfully and looked down, somewhere in between the Doctor’s shoulder, now layered in makeshift bandages, and his own leg. “We have to watch over him all night; make sure he’s okay.”

Clara nodded. “I can take first watch. You’ve already done so much.”

Danny waited until she had assured him three times before letting himself doze off, burying his head in his arms. Clara watched over the two of them sleeping side by side with a smile and a few tears, the shock of the day’s events setting in. Softly, she gave them each a kiss on the head. “My boys.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The first three hours of Clara’s watch had been uneventful. She’d even considered sleeping at the end of the second. But as the fourth rolled around, the Doctor suddenly showed signs that he was not as alright as he had seemed earlier. His body was shaking and shivering, though Clara only found it to be a little bit nippy. At first, covering him in her jacket seemed to suffice. Then his face paled further, teeth chattering. Worst was when Clara nudged his uninjured shoulder. His only response was some incoherent muttering and a few breaths of visible air. 

“Doctor?”

When he failed to respond, yet again, Clara lay next to him, getting closer to his body than he’d ever allowed her. Gently, she brushed a finger through his hair.

“Doctor, wake up.”

He made a soft noise from deep in his throat and then stammered. Clara had to lean close to hear him. “C-cold.”

Her heart broke to see him so in need. Carefully, she wrapped an arm around him, trying to share as much body heat as possible. But the Doctor’s shuddering and teeth chattering only got worse, until it almost seemed like he were having a seizure. At this point, Clara shook Danny awake.

“He’s way too cold, but I don’t know what to do for him.”

Danny wakened instantly, going to the Doctor’s side and checking him over. Luckily, the diamond wall was still shining brightly above. “Do you have any other blankets?”

Clara looked herself over and shook her head, passing off her jumper and then shivering herself. “I didn’t wear a whole lot of layers.”

Danny placed the sweater over the Doctor’s torso, but it didn’t seem to do much help, the Doctor still shivering beneath it all. Danny shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. Tea would be helpful. Or a full blown hospital; staff included.”

Clara had almost forgotten Danny wasn’t actually a doctor, he’d played he part so well. She came beside him and wrapped him in a hug. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Thanks to you.”

Danny smiled infinitesimally. “We had to learn basic first aid for combat. Never thought I’d use it again.”

Clara noted the ‘again’, but released Danny from her hold with a yawn. He nudged her shoulder. “You should get to sleep. It’s time for my watch.”

She took even more convincing that he had, but eventually he got her to lay down and fall asleep, curled into herself to protect from the chill that was setting in. Danny leaned back against the wall of the cave and looked over the Doctor once more, adjusting one of the sweaters so that it covered his arm more completely. Suddenly the Doctor’s head shifted.

“Danny.”

“Oh; not P.E. any more?”

The Doctor opened his eyes and looked up at Danny, who hovered over him checking on the wound beneath the bandage. It seemed alright enough, clean as could be expected when they were stuck in a cave for the night. 

“Danny...thank you.”

Danny chuckled. “Now I know you’re not feeling well.”

The Doctor returned the smile, but soon shut his eyes as a wave of pain washed over him. Danny set a hand gently on his arm. “You should rest.”

The Doctor opened his eyes one last time, exhausted but determined to say one last thing. “Thank you for protecting Clara.”

“Thank you for protecting both of us.”

The Doctor drifted off to sleep as Danny sank back against the wall, keeping one hand on his patient as he gazed into the shadowy cave, trying to find shapes in the patterns of diamonds on the opposite wall. 

The next morning, Clara woke to a much different scene than she’d fallen asleep to. The cave was brightly lit from outside, and Danny was nowhere to be seen. She got to her knees beside the Doctor and checked his even breathing and steady pulse before looking up at the mouth of the cave. She was about to go off on some kind of search for her boyfriend when his voice entered from outside. She could hear the smile from here.

“Remember how I told you about the wells I dug?”

Clara’s face split into a grin as Danny entered the cave bearing a large bucket of water in one hand and three cups in the other. “Found some supplies at the festival. And the well. I didn't actually dig this one.”

Clara scooped some water into her cup and took a sip. Water had never tasted to sweet and pure. “Danny, this is amazing. You’re amazing.”

Danny smiled, but instantly went to work filling his and the Doctor’s cups with the healing liquid. Clara traced a thumb across the Doctor’s eyebrow, happy to see him stirr and open his eyes. 

“Clara,” he said, his voice thick. Danny put a hand behind his head and brought the cup up to his lips.

“Drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”

Danny tilted the cup up, and most of the water dripped through the Doctor’s greedy, parched lips. Clara wiped up any accidental spills on his chin with the back of her hand. When he was finished, his eyes looked brighter, but a sudden pain lanced through his chest. The Doctor groaned and shut his eyes.

Danny rubbed the Doctor’s shoulder, well above the injury, and watched as the man composed himself, murmuring soothing words as the Doctor’s breathing hitched. “Easy. It’ll pass in a minute.”

Clara smiled as she watched the two connect so well, a complete 180 from just 12 hours ago. Then she, too, ran a hand up and down the Doctor’s arm, soaking up what would hopefully be the last time he was disoriented enough to let her touch him when he wasn’t wearing anything other than her jacket still blanketed over his torso and a slew of bandages on his chest. 

The Doctor calmed and slowly made to sit up, succeeding in doing so only with the help of his two friends. “We should get back to...TARDIS.”

Clara peered outside the cave. “It’s still early. There’s plenty of time. You just rest until you can walk properly. I don’t think Danny wants to carry you two miles through the forest.”

Danny smiled. “I don’t think I can carry myself that far right now.”

Clara smiled softly, and the trio all leant against the wall beside each other, trying not to think about the last night or the long journey ahead. Whenever the pain in the Doctor's shoulder flared up, his companions were there to help him through it. At one point, Danny even fashioned a homemade sling which he set the Doctor’s arm into.

“Keep your arm still for as long as you can so you’ll heal. I don’t want you ruining all the work I did yesterday.”

The Doctor smiled faintly, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes. Then they all fell asleep, partially leaning on each other, as they waited for the temperature and their own energy levels to rise enough for the long trek home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  


Surprisingly, it was the Doctor who was the first to wake from their group nap. His arm was still bent across his chest, resting immovably in its sling, and his chest ached when he tried turning to look at Clara and Danny. As the wind blew in from the cave entrance and ran across his chest, he realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. His face contorted into a frown, but lightened up as he felt Clara shift on his good shoulder. 

Her big eyes looked up at him and she smiled before saying sleepily, “Hello Doctor.”

“Hello Clara.”

His voice was almost back to normal, only carrying a trace of his previous exhaustion. Clara kissed his cheek softly. 

“I was worried about you, you daft old man.”

The Doctor’s eyes flitted down to his bandaged chest. “What-this? I’m not going to let a silly human with a gun finish me, Clara Oswald.”

Clara’s eyes grew stern. “Don’t test it again though, eh?”

“Got it, boss.” 

“Ah, she’s your boss. I was wondering what your relationship was.”

Clara and the Doctor turned to the newly awakened Danny, who eyed Clara playfully. Then his expression turned a little more serious as he turned to the Doctor. “Are you alright?”

The Doctor waved him off. “Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Unless you have a shirt I could borrow.”

Clara found the Doctor’s jacket lying in a heap on the floor beside them, all crumpled up with a piece ripped from the bottom. She wrapped it around his bare shoulders. “Sorry about the jacket, Doctor.”

“Ah, it’s fine. It died honorably. Saved my life.”

“Ugh, I though I did that?” Danny said. The Doctor’s smile faltered. 

“Yes. That you did, P.E..”

Danny smiled at the nickname, but he Doctor seemed to lose his humor, his face turning slightly solemn as his companions helped him to his feet. When he was finally up, he leaned heavily against the wall and waited until the others started forward before following shakily. He didn’t speak again for a few minutes, as they made their way out of the cave and through the ruined festival grounds. When they hiked through the forest, Clara fell back to walk with him, her arms crossed.

“Are you brooding again?”

The Doctor watched his feet as they walked. “I’m...thinking.”

Clara shook her head. “That’s what you always say when you get quiet like this. What are you thinking about?”

The Doctor bit his lip but didn’t respond. They had reached the TARDIS by then, so Clara left his side and unlocked the doors for them, shutting them when Danny and the Doctor were inside.

The Doctor went to the TARDIS control panel and dialled in a few numbers, moving slower now that he was typing one-handed. Danny scratched his head as he looked around the space again. “I seriously will never get used to this.”

Clara smiled at him, and then held her hand out. “If you think that’s amazing, you should see the showers. Come on, we better get washed up.”

The Doctor waited until they had gone before letting himself sit down, grunting in pain. Then he peeled the bandages off checked his wound. Satisfied, he went to the underside of the Console and took out his medical kit, from which he pulled out proper bandages and a real sling. 

Finished with that, the Doctor ambled slowly down to the TARDIS wardrobe, scanning the aisles for wherever the machine had put a new magician jacket.

As Clara separated from Danny, going off to her own shower room, he turned to the mirror and stared into it for a long time. His shirt was a wrinkled mess, three buttons undone and the collar half up. Worst, though, was the dirt and blood staining half of his shirtsleeve, and caking his arms and hands where he hadn’t had the mind to wash that morning. 

The sight of the red plasma brought back too many memories, not just of the Doctor, but of the wars he’d been a part of, and the soldiers he’d fought beside. Friends and enemies and strangers. 

Danny turned the sink on high and washed the grime off of himself, feeling tears prick into his eyes as he watched it go slowly down the drain. Then his face crumpled, and he let the tears fall as they will. His hands gripped the edges of the sink as he tried to calm himself, but only the sudden touch of a warm hand on his back brought him round again.

He turned toward Clara and wiped at his eyes, but then he choked on another sob and let her grab him into a hug, shushing him and rubbing his arm with her hand.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s alright. Do whatever you need to.”

A few minutes later, Danny pulled away from the hug, and laughed awkwardly. “Hey.”

Clara stroked a wandering tear off of his cheek and smiled up at him. “You okay?”

He leaned back on the sink, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, it was just...it was a day, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

They both stared into space for a moment before Clara stepped back into the hallway. “I’m gonna go wash up, yeah? I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“See you.”

Danny turned back to the sink and finished washing his hands, taking a few deep breaths when he felt some of the memories resurface. Then he took a shower and washed off the awful day that was finally catching up with him, going over everything in his mind while simultaneously trying to forget it.

When Danny, Clara, and the Doctor next stood in the Console room together, all three were washed up and dressed. Apart from the sling still holding the Doctor’s arm against his chest, it was impossible to know they’d been anywhere other than this clean, bright room chatting. Clara hugged the Doctor one last time, but now the Doctor was feeling better, he wasn’t as keen to accept it.

“Clara, you don’t have to-”

“Shut up.”

He let her keep her arms around his neck for as long as she wanted, in this case half a minute. When Clara finally let go, she gave him a smile and went out the door into her flat. Danny followed close behind, but stopped at the threshold when he heard his name called from behind him. He turned to the Doctor, who stood a few feet closer than he had been, looking at a spot beside Danny’s head awkwardly.

“Thank you, again.”

Danny shook his head. “Nah. It was nothing.”

The Doctor met his eyes. “Maybe,” he said, “there’s a bit more to modern soldiering than I know.”

Danny smiled. “Yeah?”

The Doctor returned the smile. Danny watched him for a moment. So much had changed in so little time. Just a week or so before, Danny had wanted to wring the Doctor’s neck for letting Clara hurt her wrist on Mars or wherever. Now he saw the man in a very different light. They both did. “Goodbye, Doctor.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Pink. Teach them some geometry for me.”

Danny took hold of the door handle. “Will do, sir.”

He shut the door and went into Clara’s flat, leaving the Doctor pensively staring at the doorway for a good five minutes.

Clara was on the couch, shoes already off and two wine glasses in hand. Danny sank beside her and took a large swig, making Clara laugh. “So what did you think?”

“Of our trip? It was...a bit more stressful than I expected.”

Clara swallowed thickly. “Yeah,” she paused to take a sip of her own wine. “That one was more stressful than most. He doesn’t usually get hurt. Not like that, anyway.”

Danny tilted his glass and watched how the wine rotated around the bottom of the cup. Then he felt Clara’s head on his shoulder. “Thank you for helping him.”

“It was sort of automatic. Training kicking in. Old habits.”

Clara looped her hand through his arm. “Even so. You’re amazing.” She turned up to him and smiled. “Doctor Danny.”


End file.
